Douglas Carswell

Douglas Carswell was first elected to Parliament in 2005 by a slender 920 votes. He was returned as MP for Clacton in 2010 with a 12,000 majority. He is the author of The End of Politics and the Birth of iDemocracy and believes that the internet is making the world a vastly better place.

Anti-politics is more than just a phase. Deferential democracy is dead

It's just a phase, many MPs think. Voters are angry over expenses or Iraq or more expenses. But the mood, they presume, will pass.

No, my friends, colleagues and opponents. This anti-politics thingy is not just a phase. It will not abate. We are witnessing a permanent change in the relationship between the governed and the governing.

Deferential democracy is dead. The notion that we might leave things to the superior judgment of 650 representatives and let them get on with it has gone. It won't return.

The coming of the railways in the 19th century meant that politics of the 20th was dominated by the rise of organised labour. The coming of broadband in our own time means that politics in this century will be shaped by the rise of the citizen consumer.

Citizen consumers don't do tribal loyalty. Yes, they might buy into a political party or candidate, but they do so discerningly, cautiously and carefully. They will part with their vote much as a cautious customer in a supermarket, or on eBay, might part with their cash. Scepticism is not negative, but a rational default means of ensuring they make the best choices.

Self selection is becoming a cultural norm – and not only for music. Organisations that are in the business of political retail need to be like Spotify when selling politics, not HMV. Here's how.

Second, politics retailers need to be big on small brands. Chris Anderson’s book on the Long Tail taught us that digital means more choice. In politics, digital printing, blogs, Twitter and email create the space for brands that are niche, distinctive and local.

Many politicians have just about got to grips with the idea that with digital printing, you can do a tailor-made leaflet for each part of your constituency. Why not go further, and instead of relying on a generic party message at election time, allowing 650 distinctive retail offerings in each constituency?

Nothing like a bit of authenticity – a candidate telling you what they, not their party thinks about something – to rebuild trust.

I wonder if the idea of allowing local people to trigger referendums to decide if bad MPs should be sacked looks quite so daft now, eh?

If I was in the Downing Street policy unit this morning, I would be working on a recall proposal to allow one in five local voters to trigger a referendum on whether to sack an MP – and put it in the Queen's Speech.

I would also propose a small change in the law to allow local people and parties to petition the returning officer to have open primary ballots alongside pre-existing local elections. A small change in the law, with massive implications on who we do politics.

Recall and open primaries are the answer to anti politics. If the voter is becoming more discerning, give them the means to make discerning judgements.

We Conservatives understand the important of choice and competition to drive up standards in business. Let’s apply those principles to the House of Commons too.

We have nothing to lose but a deadbeat way of running the country.

Alas, too many of those that get to decide these things in SW1 do not actually owe their own place round the political table to swing voters in marginal seats. So they are not always quick to see what needs to be done. Which is, if you think about it, all the more reason why we need these sorts of changes.